


Come Home

by Vicar_and_His_Barman (orphan_account)



Series: Anecdotes of Bilan [3]
Category: Coronation Street
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Hospital, M/M, Stabbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-05 03:19:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5359187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Vicar_and_His_Barman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Billy realises just how much Sean really means to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Starts with a Phone Call

'Sean... come home...' he slurred.

'Aw,' the other crooned, 'missing me already? I've only gone to the Rovers, you could just come and see me. You could get a free drink out of it.'

'I would...' Billy croaked, squinting in discomfort, 'but... I'm in a bit of a situation.'

Sean, on the other end of the line, smirked. 'Oh yeah?' he purred, 'what sort of situation is this, then?' He sucked in a breath as his mind hopped into the gutter for a minute, the static trembled down the line.

Billy groaned as an intense pain shot through his side. 'Please... just... come home,' he mewled.

'I'll ask for an early break,' Sean said.

'Love you.' If those were the last words that Sean would hear from his lips, then it was a good choice.

'I love you too.' The barman was confused; Billy never said "love you" unless they were saying goodnight.

Once they had put down their respective phones, the vicar, lying on Eileen's couch, felt the world spin and blackness descended over his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

'Billy!' Sean cried as he shut the door, 'I'm home!' He wandered through to the living room and peered onto the couch.

And froze.

'BILLY!' he yelled, gaping.

The vicar lay, unconscious, on his back, one hand brushing the floor and the other resting on his stomach. This image, at another time, would have been quite sweet to Sean, however, there was one problem.

Blood.

And lots of it.

Billy's face, hands and stomach were covered with red that had already started to dry. There seemed to be a rather credible amount coming from a wound on his mid-section and a smaller amount from a cut on his face that started at his right temple and travelled in a jagged line to the corner of his mouth.

Sean immediately started to panic and mutter to himself. 'What do I do? What do I do?' he whispered over and over.

Of course, you can sit there and shout at Sean to dial 911 and ask for an ambulance. But when your mind is in a frenzy like the barman's was now, common sense doesn't quite reach the front of your head, and one can often make many mistakes when in such a state.

Sean started to yell. He was shaking like a leaf and tears were beginning to fall. His knuckles were dusted with white from gripping the back of the sofa too hard.

His shouts went through the window that had been left open and quite a few people stopped to look at the house to see what the commotion was about.

A key rattled in the lock and Eileen burst through the door, followed by the ever nosy Sally and the ever caring Sophie.

'I don't know what to do!' the barman yelled, 'I don't know what to do!'

The trio of women looked at the limp body of Billy on the sofa and Eileen snatched up the phone. After a quick conversation, the phone was back in its cradle and an ambulance was on its way.

'Well,' Sally said, crossing her arms, 'I'd quite like to know what he was doing. Could it be some sort of ritual?'

'Mum!' Sophie snapped, 'Christians aren't masochists. We pray and believe in God, not stab ourselves as some sort of act of honour to an all-powerful being.'

'Well, you might not, Sophie, but what about devout Christians? And Billy is a vicar; he out-ranks other Christians, doesn't he?'

The young woman rolled her eyes. 'Mum, either help Billy or go away.'

Eileen was ready for action; she had gotten her tea towel and dampened it and was already pressing it to the wound on the vicar's side, doing her best to stop the bleeding. Sally did not attempt to help, she rather preferred to just look on and talk about how reports of burglary and stabbing were increasing in number all the time and that people should start being more careful.

Sean was in bits. He was huddled into Sophie's comforting embrace and sobbing against her chest. 'Sh-She's r-right,' he choked, 'I should have just stayed in and watched the movie with him. But I had to work. I had to go and help. Billy knew that. Didn't he? Oh, God, what if he hates me for letting this happen to him? If I had just stayed in and watched the movie, I could have helped. He might have been fine. It should have been me. I should have been stabbed.'

'Hey,' Sophie said, firmly, 'stop that talk right now; Billy will be fine.'

'You two have gone through a lot to stick together,' Eileen said, looking up from the vicar's side, 'and they say that a good couple will stick together through thick and thin. Billy will _not_ hate you just because you didn't stay in and watch a movie; he's a mature lad and can deal with it.'

The barman nodded, sniffing.

It was then that sirens blared out from the street.

 

* * *

 

 

Sally was not present at the hospital.

'Penny for 'em,' Sophie said, gently nudging her friend's shoulder.

Sean sniffed, wiping at his eyes with the damp tissue that the nurse had given him when he had come in and sat down, the nurse had taken pity on the suffering Sean and had left after giving him the tissue and laying a comforting hand on his shoulder that Sophie had just nudged.

'I just...' he began. His mouth started to flop open and stutter lamely, before he started to cry again.

The brunette sighed and put her arm around his shoulders. 'Come on,' she soothed, 'Billy won't wanna see ya sobbing when he wakes up, now, will 'e?'

These words did not make Sean feel any better; but only made him choke on his sobs and wail harder. He slapped his hands over his face. His loud sobbing made other people turn and look at him, annoyed at the noise he was making. 'That's just it,' the barman cried, 'what if he... he... doesn't?'

'Eh?' Sophie asked.

'Will, it happens, doesn't it?' he said, 'like your...' he gave her an apologetic look, 'like your... Maddie,' he whispered.

'Yeah, well, Billy has a better chance than Maddie did,' the woman muttered, shrugging.

'But... but... but what if he doesn't?'

Sophie said nothing. There was nothing that she could say. Sean would only feel better once he saw Billy's pale green eyes looking back at him with all that care and love just for him. And that would happen, Sophie just knew it.

'Visitors for Mr Mayhew?' a dark-haired, pale-skinned male doctor said, walking up to the pair of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I know that Christians would never do this as a ritual, so I mean no offence by what Sally said; I thought this was something that Sally would say.


	2. That Chilling Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The doctor has arrived with news on Billy's welfare. And a rather disturbing discovery.

Sean's entire dreary demeanour brightened; he sat up straighter and his eyes glazed over with a child-like hope. 'Yes,' he gushed, 'how is he?'

'In a word,' the doctor said, 'he's lucky.' He held out a hand that Sean shook. 'I'm Dr Timothy, and if you have any questions, then I am the person you come to.'

'Can we see him?' Sean practically begged.

'In a moment,' the doctor said. He sifted through his papers on his clipboard while continuing, 'I just need you to listen to me for a minute.' He looked back up at them and finally found the paper that he was looking for. 'Mr Mayhew is in a critical state; the object used to penetrate his skin has also pierced his stomach lining. It also appears to have been sliced across the abdomen and, with it, his stomach lining has also been sliced open. Your long wait was because we had to rush him into surgery once he knew what had happened. Surgery went well and he's working off the anaesthetic as we speak.'

Suddenly the atmosphere in the air shifted. It felt like the room was suffocating the barman. Like everyone was listening. Judging. Taking a place in his life that they had no part of.

'However,' the doctor began again, 'after a routine check-up to see if anything else was damaged, the nurse found a bit of extensive scarring on his anal area, as though he had been sexually assaulted or the correct precautions were not taken. The scarring is old and faded, but it's there and we assumed that you knew what had happened.'

Sean shook his head. 'No,' he squeaked, 'we haven't been dating for too long and by the sounds of what you've said, the scarring is over ten years old, we've only known each other for a couple of years. And we haven't even entered that stage of our relationship... yet.' He cheeks reddened a little.

'I wasn't implying that you were the cause, sir, just if you knew what had happened. And your prediction is quite right; we've estimated the scarring to be around fifteen to twenty years old.'

The barman shook his head once more. 'No, I'm sorry.'

The doctor nodded. 'Well, I have kept you long enough,' he said, starting to walk away, 'if you follow me you can see him.'

Sean stood up eagerly and grasped Sophie's hand in his own, rushing after Dr Timothy.

 

* * *

 

'I'll leave you to it,' the doctor said as he left the room.

Sean sat down on the plastic chair on the right side of the bed. The cut on Billy's right cheek was bandaged with sticky plasters and it was all the barman could look at when turning his gaze to his boyfriend's face. He took Billy's hand in his own and brought it to his lips. He kissed each of the vicar's fingertips.

'Oh, Billy,' he said, tears welling up in his eyes and making their way down his cheeks.

Wires stemmed from the younger man's body to machines surrounding him, as though he was a plant and vines were stretching away from him. The silence was filled with the steady beep from the heartbeat machine.

It felt like an hour until a moan came from the vicar's throat.

The barman straightened up, clutching his boyfriend's hand tighter. 'Billy,' he whispered, 'it's me, Sean.'

'I know who y'are, silly,' the vicar slurred, 'I'd rec-nise your voi'sss an'where.' His eyes opened with great effort and he smiled a little. He felt his strength come back drop by drop, groggy from the anaesthetic.

'You're okay!' the other cried and jumped to his feet, bending over the vicar to reach his left cheek and planted a tender kiss there. He avoided the other cheek for fear of hurting him for the presence of the cut.

'You're lucky you were out of it,' Sophie said from the other side of the bed, 'your beloved here has been wailing the walls down since he's gotten here. Thought he was gonna have to be sedated.'

Billy smiled a little wider. 'I wouldn't expect anything else from him,' he said, fondly. He looked down at his hand sandwiched between Sean's.

The barman's cheeks bloomed with colour and he was about to left go when the vicar squeezed his hand. It was a weak squeeze, barely felt, but it was there and it was stimulant enough for Sean to not let go.

'Can you remember what happened?' the barman asked.

'Not really,' the vicar replied, 'but... no one broke in... and I was stabbed.'

Sean's eyes widened. 'You mean... someone had a... a key?'

'Either that or someone didn't lock the door properly,' Sophie said.

Billy swallowed. 'So, he or she... could come back,' he said with a sense of finality.

'They won't,' Sean said, 'I'll make sure of it.'


	3. Suspicion

It did not take long for Billy to insist on sitting up and walking. The doctors were incredibly impressed at his resilience after having been through surgery a mere two days ago. 'Many people insist more on a good rest for about a week,' they kept saying to him.

'Perhaps they're just glad of the sick pay,' the vicar said, rather bitterly one day.

'Billy,' Sean said, shocked at the man's contempt.

The vicar gave the barman an apologetic look.

'Anyway,' the doctor continued, 'we're going to keep you in bed for another couple of days, just to let your stitches heal properly. You never know with them; you think they're fine and then as soon as you move, they rip.' He put a hand on Billy's shoulder. 'Sorry, mate.'

The vicar nodded. 'That's alright,' he said.

'You look like you want to ask me something,' Dr Timothy said.

'My face.' Billy did not have to explain.

'Ah...' the doctor said, 'well... as you're aware, there's a high chance of it scarring. But the good news is that it won't affect anything but how you look.'

The vicar nodded. 'Thank you.'

With a nod, the doctor left.

'So that's it,' Billy said, turning to Sean, 'I can't show myself in public again.'

'You don't know that,' the barman scolded, 'it might end up like Todd's; barely visible.'

'And if it doesn't?'

'Then... walk with your head held high.'

Billy scoffed.

'No, really,' the barman said, 'scars only prove that you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.'

'Please don't give me internet quotes,' the vicar moaned.

'Well, it's true, innit?'

The vicar shrugged. 'Guess so.'

* * *

 

The door opened and in walked some friendly faces.

'Well, look at you, Mr Survivor,' Jason said.

'Yeah, Bear Grylls in't got a patch on you, 'as 'e?' Eileen laughed.

Billy smiled gratefully. 'Thanks,' he said, 'it's great to see you.'

'I should think it is,' the woman replied, 'taken me ages to get those stains out of my tea towel.'

The vicar chuckled. 'Sorry.'

'Don't apologise,' Eileen said, 'it isn't your fault; it's down to the scumbag that hurt you.'

'Well, look at that,' Todd said, slimily, 'your battle scars outdo mine, don't they?' His face was one of ugly bitterness and contempt.

'Heh,' Billy laughed nervously, 'sorry.'

'Clearly someone wanted to make an impression.'

'Shut up, Todd,' Jason snapped.

The vicar swallowed. Something wasn't right...


	4. True Fear

Sean did not leave after Eileen, Jason and Todd did. He and Billy sat in compatible silence, holding each other's hand.

It was only a few minutes until Sean started to cry a little bit. It started as a trickle, but soon turned to a gush. He put his free hand over his eyes and wiped at them. 'I'm sorry,' he said, sniffing, 'I'm sorry.'

The vicar let go of the barman's hand and put it on his cheek instead. 'Hey,' he said, softly, 'what have you got to be sorry for?' He wiped at the stray tears on the man's face.

'You shouldn't have to be lumbered with a blubbering boyfriend while you're dealing with this,' the barman sniffed.

Billy shook his head. 'Maybe not,' he replied, 'but you have every right to be upset.'

'You're the one that's had a knife in his stomach,' Sean squeaked. It took him mere seconds to realise the weight of the words. 'Oh!' he cried, bringing his hands to his mouth, 'Billy, I-'

The vicar cut across him. 'It's fine,' he said, frost lining the edge of his tone.

Sean took a few deep breaths and took hold of Billy's hand from his face. 'I'm sorry...' he whispered, nevertheless.

They sat like this for a further half an hour, taking comfort in each other's presence. It was strange how just the notion of a loved one just sitting next to you could be so very nice and make you feel so much better. Perhaps it was just the thought of someone actively caring and taking an interest in your well-being and not just for themselves, that they had reached out. Of course, this was who Billy was naturally and sometimes, it got him into trouble for being a nosy git, and this was who Sean was slowly becoming, taking the time to poke his head out of his own problems and check how others were feeling.

'Billy...' Sean started.

The vicar looked up. 'Mm?'

'Um... Dr Timothy said that... when there was a routine check-up over the rest of you... um... the nurses found scarring... down there.' He gestured lamely towards the vicar's bottom.

The barman had never seen truer fear cross a person's face like he did now when he glanced at his boyfriend's face. He heard the breathing quicken and the heart rate monitor get louder. 'Oh, no... oh, God,' the vicar started to mutter to himself, turning away from Sean and running his hands through his hair. 'Why did he have to find out like this? He can't take any more heartbreak; he's worrying about me too much as it is.'

'Billy? -' the barman put his hand on the vicar's leg - 'you can tell me... please.'

The vicar shook his head. 'Not here, not in the hospital... when we're home,' he muttered, wiping at his face.

Sean nodded. 'Do you want me to go?' he asked.

'No!' Billy said, suddenly, grabbing the barman's hand and looking at him desperately, 'God, no. Please, don't.'

The barman nodded, putting his hand over Billy's. 'Alright, I won't go.' He leaned over and pressed his lips to the vicar's forehead.

'Promise me you won't,' the vicar whispered, leaning into Sean's touch.

'I promise,' the barman murmured against Billy's skin, 'I promise.'


	5. The Truth at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy finally tells the truth.

Billy was discharged the following week. He walked out of the hospital in his usual, comfy clothes and gripped Sean's hand for dear life, almost huddling into the other man as he left. He shrank away from the kind words of the doctors, but replied with a smile and a choked, 'Thank you'. He hadn't taken very much to the hospital, just a change of clothes - the bloodied shirt in a carrier bag - and his book. Eileen had offered to send a cab their way, but Sean said that they needed a bit of time to themselves so that they could talk. Michael had driven Billy's car up to the hospital and taken back one of his cabs. Sean sat in the driver's seat - Billy under strict instructions to not drive or exert himself until a week or so had passed - the vicar stared at his hands in his lap, chewing his lip.

They had driven in silence until the main road, when Sean had looked over at Billy and decided, as the line of cars didn't seem to be moving anywhere anytime soon, that now was a good time to talk.

'So,' the barman began, 'did you want to talk?'

He saw the muscles shift in the vicar's jaw as the man clenched and unclenched his teeth. He started wringing his hands, the sweat on them making a sticking click. 'Not really,' he whispered, 'if it's what I think you're asking about.'

'The... scarring,' Sean said, lips forming a thin line.

'I don't think that the car is the best place to talk,' Billy murmured, 'I promise; when we're home, I'll talk.'

The barman sighed. 'Okay,' he said, resignedly.

 

At home, Billy sat on the sofa, slowly. He braced his hands on his knees and tried to calm himself by breathing.

Sean sat gently next to him. He moved his hand out to touch the other, but he faltered. There was a look in the vicar's eyes that he had never seen before. One of hurt and loss and pain, mixed with shame and embarrassment and regret. A thin sheen of sweat made its way down his face. A thicker layer of blood had been bitten into his lip, time having wore away the skin.

The barman sighed and put his hand gingerly on Billy's shoulder blade. A small intake of breath came from the other, but there was nothing more. Sean rubbed his hand up and down, comforting Billy as the vicar had done countless times for himself. 'Please,' he whispered.

Eyes shut, the words came forth. 'I was... assaulted at fifteen,' he whispered, words tumbling over each other in competition to escape into the room to fall on disbelieving ears.

_It was pitch black, the streetlights forming pools of light on the grass. The park was eerie at night. The reason he was there had been blurred through time and memory. There was a clamouring feeling of someone following him._

_Someone familiar._

_Turning around at regular intervals, Billy saw nothing and no one. Until they leapt out at him, pinning him to the floor._

_'Scream and get a knife through your throat,' they snarled into his ear. Two zippers were pulled down, roughly - the stranger's and his own._

_'Tom?'_

_'Billy.'_

_Tom. His best friend. Grown up together. Practically brothers. Questions of what and why passed his lips, confusion and fear thickening his tongue._

_But there was no answer. And if there had been one, it had been washed away by oceans of memory. There was only the stench of alcohol for moments, moments of peace and leisure compared to what happened next._

_Then came the pain. And the humiliation. The terror flooded his stomach and spilled out through his mouth, screams taking its shape. Until a hand was clamped over his mouth and his only asset of evidence was the flared nostrils and wide eyes._

_All while blood came from an unspeakable place._

_'I want you to remember this,' Tom rumbled in Billy's ear._

_Then came more pain. But of a different kind. A knife cut through his skin. Creating the scarring that the doctors had seen._

_He left Billy lying on the ground, pain flaring up and around his body, tears falling from his cheeks._

'The rest is blurry,' Billy finished, listlessly, 'but my mum picked me up, I know that much.'

Sean was struggling not to cry. How could anyone have done that to a fifteen year old? A fifteen year old that they knew, no less. The barman moved forward and slid his arms around Billy's shoulders. 'Oh, God, Billy,' he murmured, pressing his face into the vicar's neck, 'I'm so sorry.'

The vicar moved in Sean's arms to rest his head against the barman's chest. 'I've moved on,' he said, 'it doesn't hurt anymore... but I hadn't wanted you to know until later on. I never wanted you to find out like this.'

'I won't treat you any differently,' the barman promised, 'this changes nothing between us.'

'Promise?'

'I swear it.'

 

And, indeed, it didn't. In fact, it was almost as though Billy had never told Sean in the first place. They opened up to each other more afterwards and were a lot more honest about how they were feeling and stories from the past. Sean even found it in himself to tell Billy about his relationship with Marcus and how disastrously that had ended. Something that he would have preferred to not talk about with the vicar. But that is a story for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt:  
> Secret: My muse tells yours something they’re keeping secret or don’t want to admit.
> 
> Sean discovers Billy’s terrible secret.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the culprit makes themselves known.

'It was me,' he smirked, almost swaying in front of Billy; rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

'No.' 

'Oh yes,' he replied, 'I wanted you out of the way.' 

'Why?' Billy's mouth couldn't be any wider in shock if he tried. 

'I didn't want to see Sean have what I couldn't.' 

'And that is?' 

'You.' 

And with these words, Todd left.

**Author's Note:**

> For more Billy/Sean (or "Bilan" as I now call them), you may want to check out My Tumblr blog here:  
> http://vicar-and-his-barman.tumblr.com/


End file.
